Sen. Christensen’s anti-wolf bill passes Utah Senate

[large thumbnail url=”sen-christensens-anti-wolf-bill-passes-utah-senate” filename=”news” year=”2010″ month=”02″ day=”03″] [thumbnail icon url=”sen-christensens-anti-wolf-bill-passes-utah-senate” filename=”news” year=”2010″ month=”02″ day=”03″] Republican state senator Allen Christensen’s vicious anti-wolf bill has taken its first step towards being signed into law after passing through Utah’s State Senate.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 may be the beginning of the end for wolves in Utah. Senate Bill 36 would effectively make the state a no-go area for wolves.

A substitute version of the bill was submitted by Christensen after the original was deemed too likely to be shut down on constitutional grounds as wolves are protected by the federally enforced Endangered Species Act.

The new version of the bill calls for the federal government to remove any wolf which is found in Utah in an area where they are listed as endangered. The original bill would have allowed the state to kill or capture any wolf found anywhere in Utah.

The substitute bill would also require the Division of Wildlife to ensure no wolves established packs in areas of the state where wolves are not protected by the Endangered Species Act.

The bill also mentions previous requests to the federal government to remove the wolf from the Endangered Species List for the state of Utah and the fact that its wolf management plan was never approved, which it submitted in 2007.

The state Senate passed the substitute bill by a vote of 21-8. It will now move on to the state House and ultimately to the desk of the governor.

Despite the revisions, the bill is still likely to face challenges on it’s legality.